Kerri walked into her dark, quiet home, leaned against the closed door, and inhaled deeply of the scent of the ocean. Calmness washed over her like a warm wave. She cherished the sound of Brownie’s toenails tap-tapping across the wood floor to greet her.
She bent down to hold her old dog in a long hug. Brownie had seen her through some difficult times, but none as hard as the last few weeks.
“How about I cook us a nice steak on the grill tonight? I know you like it.”
Brownie danced at the sound of her favorite word.
The ring of Kerri’s phone interrupted their joy. She decided to take a chance and answer the unknown number.
“This is Stacey. You home? I need to change out of my uniform.”
“Uh, okay, come on up. I’m in number—”
“I know the number.”
Two minutes later, a sharp knock sounded at the door.
“Come on in.”
“Nice place, Kerri. Great view of the water. I don’t suppose you have anything to drink?”
“How about some Crown Royal?”
“Great. Two fingers, over ice. Mind if I change?”
“Go right ahead.” Kerri was perplexed and feeling a little awkward. Why is she here? And what does she want?
When she returned to the living room with the drinks, Stacey was sitting in her recliner, wearing cut-off jean shorts and a snug tank top with no bra.
“Thanks for the drink. You must be wondering why I’m here.”
“I was kind of curious.”
“Before you hear anything from the news media, or even the US Navy, I wanted to tell you the truth about how I found your plane.”
Kerri took a big gulp of her drink. “I’m listening.”
“I knew you were being set up to take the fall, and I couldn’t let that happen again.”
“What do you mean, again?”
“There have been some incidents where women pilots were blamed for accidents they didn’t cause, just because they were females. I saw this happen to a friend of mine, one of the first navy women fighter pilots. She was fairly new to the F-14, and she had the inboard engine blow up in the final turn for a carrier landing, she couldn’t eject, and she died in the plane crash. Her male squadron mates released her confidential training records to the press to show she was a weak pilot. She’d busted only one ride in training, but they crucified her before they even started the investigation.
“The same thing was about to happen to you. I had a feeling you didn’t do anything wrong with those engines, but we had to prove it by finding the data recorders.”
“I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Why would anyone want to blame me instead of find out the truth?”
“There’s an agenda at work here, just like there has been for all the years women have been making strides in the military. A lot of boys out there still don’t want us in their club houses. If they can blame a woman for an airplane crash, it proves their point that women are weak pilots and should stay home.”
“That’s crap. Why are we still fighting these battles forty years after women have been airline pilots?”
“Here’s what I came to tell you, Kerri. You’re about the luckiest damn woman I ever met. The latitude and longitude coordinates you gave us in your last transmission were right on, but that area of the Pacific Ocean is very deep. Your aircraft settled on an underwater plateau at a depth of only three thousand feet. The sea floor around this plateau is over two miles deep. We would have never found your plane.”
“Wow. What are the chances of that?”
“Your 767 stayed intact after a bomb blast and landed, like an angel, on the head of a pin. I filmed all of it, but the navy has it, and now that it’s an intentional terrorist bombing, we have to turn everything over to the CIA. They won’t be happy with me that I gave the black boxes to the NTSB before they got to look at them, but it was the only way to make sure this information became public.”
“I can’t believe you did that for me, Stacey. I don’t know what to say. Won’t you get into trouble with your commander for changing course to find my plane?”
“Not really. I had the opportunity to field-test some prototype search equipment. Let’s just say they were very pleased. This is a copy of all the raw footage we took of your plane. Keep it in a safe place, and only use it in an emergency. By the way, the fuel guy who planted the bomb on your plane is a Saudi national and a known terrorist. He was in the country legally on a student visa. When they picked him up, he had a dozen soda-can bombs at his apartment. He had big plans. Got to go. Thanks for the drink.”
“Thank you, Stacey. You saved my career.”
“You just keep helping out the next young women who want to fly, and we’ll be square.”
Kerri was grateful for her new friend. Stacey would be someone she could count on for a long time.
She looked at her phone for the hundredth time, hoping to see a text from Janine. Her worry was escalating. Now that the truth was out about the bomb attack on her jet, Ryan would want to get Janine and Molly back to his family’s fortress so he could use her fame to help his political campaign.
“Please, Janine, let me know you’re all right.” She whispered her prayer to the ocean.
* * *
The phone rang, and Ryan snatched it from Janine’s hand.
“Janine Case’s phone. Who is this, please?” His sickly sweet voice made Janine want to vomit. He put the phone on speaker mode so he could hear every word said.
“This is the Crew Desk, calling for Janine.”
“This is Janine. Go ahead.”
“The crew bus will pick you up at seven thirty tomorrow morning. The NTSB just informed us they have completed their investigation, and the final results will be announced at their downtown office. Please wear your uniform.”
“Thank you.”
Ryan shut off her phone. “Good. The sooner we get through this investigation, the sooner we can get home and get busy with my campaign. How about if I give you a gift of some nice, big breast implants to celebrate?”
Tomorrow. That will be my chance to get away from him. Kerri will be there, and I’ll make my break for freedom.
* * *
Thursday, May 15
The next morning, Janine felt safe standing next to George Cato and the rest of their crew, just outside the hearing room. She kept scanning the crowd for Kerri’s face. The doors opened and they all filed in. Kerri was already sitting at the front table with Ray.
“Please take your seats, ladies and gentlemen. This won’t take too long.” Ellsworth didn’t even pound his gavel on the desk and scowled less than he had the previous days.
“I want to thank Lieutenant Commander Gentry, and the crew of the USS Sally Ride, for finding the aircraft, and for retrieving the black boxes. This investigation would have been much more difficult without your assistance. I also want to thank the representatives from Boeing, Pratt and Whitney, and Trans Global for your cooperation. Our analysis of the cockpit voice recorder, the digital flight data recorder, and all other transmitted data is complete.”
A small murmur ran through the crowd. Janine couldn’t take her eyes off Kerri, sitting at the table in front with Ray. She had a calm, expressionless appearance. She was trying to look professional, but Janine knew she was cheering inside.
They had been through so much trauma in the last two weeks. From almost getting blown to bits from a bomb, to landing on the water, then the emergency evacuation, and finally, surviving on a raft for two days. For Janine, the most traumatic part was finding Ryan with her daughter.
Janine didn’t have much in the way of an escape plan. She’d briefly considered hiring a hit man to take out Ryan, but that wasn’t who she was. She had been afraid of Ryan for years, but seeing her airplane on the bottom of the ocean yesterday had changed everything for her.
When Janine had seen the camera move over the hull of the underwater airplane, her overpowering feeling was, “That was almost me.”
When it was clear just how close they’d all come to being killed by a bomb, two thoughts broke through her consciousness. First, she had survived this situation for a reason. Whatever that was, her number wasn’t up yet. Maybe it was to take care of Molly, or maybe it was to be with Kerri. Regardless of the reason, she refused to waste one more minute of her life running away from Ryan. That led to her second thought. After what she’d been through, she was no longer consumed with fear—of Ryan, or of anyone.
Janine would not run and hide. She would stand up to him and demand a divorce. She would deal with whatever consequences her prenup might cause, and she would fight for Molly. With Kerri by her side, they could get through anything. Janine also understood the value of publicity, and Ryan would avoid a scene.
Janine listened to Ellsworth as he continued with the NTSB findings.
“We have positively confirmed that a compact explosive device was planted in the fuel service area of the leading edge on the right wing. This device exploded in mid-flight, causing severe damage to the right engine, an emergency decompression of the cabin, and the subsequent loss of fuel from shrapnel punctures to both wing fuel tanks. In addition, our airframe structural engineers reviewed the damage footage to the right wing. They determined the bomb caused severe damage to the wing spars and surrounding support structures. This damage made the outboard half of the right wing almost separate from the aircraft. If Captain Sullivan had delayed landing the 767 on the water, the wing would have broken off the aircraft, making the airplane uncontrollable, and all passengers and crew would have perished.”
A hush moved over the crowd.
“It is our conclusion that Captain Sullivan made the correct assessment of the severity of this emergency, that she made a timely decision to ditch the airplane, and that she did an outstanding job of landing a badly damaged aircraft on the water. In addition, the flight attendant crew successfully evacuated all passengers off the aircraft, got them into the slide rafts, and kept their passengers safe while they awaited rescue.”
Cheers rose from the entire room.
“Using the data from the flight recorders and the ROV video, we recreated this scenario in the 767 flight simulator. Out of twenty attempts to complete a water landing of this damaged aircraft, using very experienced 767 pilots, only one crew was able to successfully land the aircraft. Captain Sullivan is to be commended for her exceptional flying skills. All two hundred and fifty passengers owe their lives to the pilots and flight attendants of flight 401. This concludes the final report of the NTSB of this Boeing 767 aircraft mishap. Well done, everyone.”
Janine and George hugged each other and all the other flight attendants. They were all smiling with relief. Janine had to get to Kerri. She needed to feel this amazing woman in her arms. As she started to get up from her seat, two large men in black suits approached them.
“Mr. Ryan Jackson?” they asked.
Ryan smiled at being recognized. “Yes, I am.”
“Please come with us now.” They pulled him out of his seat, lifting him by both his upper arms, and escorted him quickly from the big room.
“Don’t go anywhere, Jan. I’ll be right back.” Ryan glared at her as he was being led from the room.
Janine ignored him and ran to the front of the room to be with Kerri.
* * *
Kerri was surprised and elated. She felt like she was lighter than air. This news from the NTSB was the second-best gift she’d ever received. The best one was walking directly toward her. Janine looked magnificent in her blue uniform dress, just like the first time she ever laid eyes on her. Janine gave her a huge smile. Other people crowded around her, congratulating her, but she could see only Janine’s beautiful face and stare into her ice-blue eyes. She closed the distance between them, and they held each other tightly.
Kerri felt a small tap at her shoulder. “Are you Captain Kerri?”
A well-dressed older gentleman, with snow-white hair, looked up at her. He reached for her hand and held it with both of his trembling hands.
“Yes, I am.”
His voice cracked. “Thank you for saving my George.”
Kerri recognized him, even though it had been a long time since she’d seen him.
“Doctor Michael, I’m so glad to see you.” She pulled him into a gentle hug.
He couldn’t say much more. He just held her hand, but the look of gratitude in his eyes spoke volumes.
George came up to them. “Michael wanted to tell you in person, Kerri. Thank you.”
He kissed her on both cheeks. “Come on, Michael. Let’s go home.”
“Captain Kerri, it’s Mel.”
Kerri recognized her captain’s assistant in the throng of people. “Mel, I’m so happy to see you.”
“I want you to meet Mom and Dad.”
Mel’s mother and father had tears in their eyes. “Thank you for taking care of our girl. We were sick with worry when we got separated from her during the evacuation.”
Kerri put her hands on Mel’s shoulders. “You should both be very proud of Mel. She’s the reason we got rescued. She’s a very brave, smart girl.”
“I told my mom and dad I want to be a pilot like you when I grow up.”
“Good for you. You’ll make a great pilot. Look at the U.S. Air Force Academy when you start thinking about college.” Kerri gave Mel her business card. “Please stay in touch.”
Kerri looked for Janine. She wanted to get away from this crowd and be alone with her.
Then she saw David Shapiro go up to Janine and hand her an envelope.
What the hell is he up to now?
Kerri went over and stood next to Janine, listening to their conversation.
“Janine, this is for you. Please open it when you get home.”
“What is it, Mr. Shapiro?”
“It’ll be clear when you open it. I’m sorry for my behavior, and I hope this makes up for it. Take care. You’re a great lady.” He turned and walked into the throng of reporters to make a statement.
“Let’s get out of here, Janine.”
They slipped out a side door and found a cab to take them to Kerri’s home. They held hands while sitting in the back of the vehicle.
“I almost forget to ask, but where’s Ryan? Is he with Molly?”
“Frankly, I don’t know where he is, and I don’t care. I’ve decided to divorce him and fight that prenup.”
“Oh, Janine, I’m so proud of you for standing up to him. I’ll help you any way I can.”
“I know you will. That’s why I think we can beat him, if we stick together.”
Kerri looked at Janine’s face and tried to memorize it. “I really want to kiss you.”
“Me too, Kerri.”
“What’s in this envelope from David Shapiro?”
They opened it together and pulled out a short stack of legal papers.
“Is this really true?” Janine had a confused look on her face.
“Oh, my God, Janine. I think so. This is a decree of annulment of your marriage to Ryan. This other one is a notarized letter stating the prenuptial agreement you signed is null and void. Open the small letter.”
Janine’s hands were shaking as she did so.
“There’s a note here from the law office of David Shapiro. Listen to this. He says, ‘My dear Janine. You will never have to concern yourself with Ryan Jackson again. It turns out that he got into big trouble on a sex trip to Thailand and was more than happy to sign your annulment, void the prenup, and give you full custody of Molly, in order to leave the country and avoid extradition.’ I can’t believe this.”
“Read the rest of it.”
“He goes on to say, ‘Please forgive me for getting involved in your personal situation, but it was the only way I could say thank you for saving my family’s life. I am eternally grateful.’ Signed, David.”
Janine was very quiet. “Kerri, this is a miracle. We’re finally free.”
She fell into Kerri’s arms and cried tears of relief for the first time.